Downloads and Teaching Resources

If you want to write and run
your programs without visiting the Programming Basics website, you can download
the Simple Code Editor. The download consists of a file called ide.jar. When you
double-click this file, the code editor will start. Your computer
needs to have Java installed to run the code editor.

This is a zip file of the text of the beginner lessons and corresponding exercise
files. The lessons are stored in a plain html format that makes them easy to
modify and print out. The exercise files contain the extra images and code needed
to run them directly on your own computer without needing to
connect to the Internet.

A sample program that demonstrates how a small game can be written in JavaScript.
The program uses some features of JavaScript that are not described in the beginner
lessons such as: arrays, creating simple objects, OR, for loops, windows, graphics,
keyboard input, and comments. As an exercise, here are some possible modifications
that you may want to make to the game: create a different layout of walls, make the
game go faster, change the graphics for the snake, make it possible to have the
snake go off the end of one side of the screen and then appear on the other side.

The Java source code used to create the Programming Basics code editor.
The code includes a simple ant script for compiling and running the editor
as a standalone program, but it can also be embedded as an applet.

Tutorial and exercise handouts for an activity that teaches how to program some simple mini-games in Scratch. This material is separate from the other Programming Basics content and is intended as a standalone presentation. Students do not have to be familiar with the Programming Basics content to follow these lessons.

Resources for teaching a class on making web pages. This material is separate from the other Programming Basics content and is intended as a standalone presentation. Students do not have to be familiar with the Programming Basics content to follow these lessons.

A presentation on how to write programs that do simple graphics and animation. This material is separate from the other Programming Basics content and is intended as a standalone presentation. Students do not have to be familiar with the Programming Basics content to follow these lessons.

This guide describes how to create your own exercises that are similar to the ones available on the website. It gives an overview of how the Programming Basics website handles graphics. It also describes how to use the attachments and libraries functionality to hide exercise resources. The instructions are technical in nature and are intended mainly for instructors.